Marchers celebrate the unique gift of life at 53rd annual March for Life

WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- As thousands gathered in the cold, to stand for the unborn, March for Life president Jennie Bradley Lichter reminded the crowd that what has "saved so many lives and moved countless hearts" on the abortion issue over the years is the marchers' "unfailing hope" their "love for the littlest ones and for moms who need a hand," their joy and "the sheer number of you who are here year after year."

The theme of the 53rd annual March for Life was "Life Is a Gift" and both the crowd and the speakers at the rally embraced their personal experience of the gift of life.

At the start of the event, Lichter introduced the "Friends of Club 21" choir, a group of teens and young adults with Down syndrome who sang the national anthem. She said the group embodied the theme of the march.

For Ariel Hartshorn, who traveled 17 hours to the march on a bus from Benedictine College in Kansas, her brother with Down syndrome was a big part of her reason for attending.

"I know that a lot of people with Down syndrome are aborted and that just breaks my heart," she told OSV News, calling her brother "the most joyful" person who "brings so much joy to everybody's life." She said "it's really important that we march for life and that we be that change" in society for people like her brother.

Vice President JD Vance, who recently announced that he and his wife, Usha, are expecting their fourth child, also felt the march's theme in a personal way, telling the crowd, "Life is a gift and I know for me personally this year, there is so much to be thankful for. I'm grateful to my own family, for my beautiful wife, Usha, and that God has given us the miracle of new life again."

One speaker at the march, Sarah Hurm, told those gathered that she was "living proof" that life is a gift through her journey of nearly aborting her son with the abortion pill regimen and being able to reverse that procedure through the help of a pro-life ministry.

She spoke about being a 26-year-old single mom who already had three children and was not receiving support from her baby's father or the abortion clinic where she felt like a "transaction," not a person.

The words of an abortion clinic worker stuck with her. The worker told her the baby had a "strong heartbeat" and she was "lucky the heartbeat bill hadn't passed because if it had we wouldn't be able to continue."

"As soon as I walked out of the facility," Hurm said, "it was as if the world went from dark gray to bright blue. The clinic had felt lifeless, outside I felt life again. That sharp contrast between darkness and light made me feel something I will never forget. I instantly began to regret my decision and I broke down in my car."

Despite having taken the first pill in the regimen, Hurm was able to save her son through a hotline number that offered abortion pill reversal treatment. "Today," she said, "my son is one of the greatest joys of my life."

She encouraged the crowd to make efforts to help women facing unexpected pregnancies. "Saving a life can be as simple as answering a phone call, driving a friend to an ultrasound, or helping her pick out a car seat," she emphasized. "Small sacrifices can become enormous victories that support moms like me and children like mine. You have that power. Be that person who connects a woman to hope."

Benedictine College student Maria Draves felt the importance of supporting women facing unplanned pregnancies, saying she traveled to the march "for the innocent children who don't have a voice for themselves" but that it was also important to "remember the mothers because a lot of these mothers are in really difficult situations, and so we have to keep them in our prayers as well and do everything we can to take care of them."

Lily Doyle, a student at Franciscan University, saw defending the dignity of the unborn as connected to the dignity of all vulnerable people. "It's important now more than ever to be sure that everyone, no matter who they are, what they feel, young, old, pre-born, know that their life is worth living," she emphasized, "every person matters no matter what."

Lichter noted the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and its emphasis on the right to life, telling the crowd "never forget that the United States of America was built on the foundation of the right to life" and "you are standing in a great American tradition when you stand up for the right to life like you're doing today."

Bringing her husband and three children out on stage, Lichter celebrated past generations of marchers and noted that her kids "have grown up as marchers and they are thrilled to see you all here today."

Amanda and Drew Ide from Minnesota were also a part of bringing the next generation of marchers as they went along the route with their young baby, Zoey, following the rally. Drew said he felt "like there's a turn in our culture to be able to see people seeing the value in protecting even the youngest people of our society."

"We are just out here representing the value of life and hoping that it can impact legislation," Amanda said, adding that as evangelical Christians they wanted to be "walking the walk, not just talking the talk."